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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28117401">so let this guard down, our love was written in the stars</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_a_banana/pseuds/im_a_banana'>im_a_banana</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>space-bois fam [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Among Us (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alien Impostor(s) (Among Us), Crew as Family, Crewmate Black (Among Us), Crewmate Orange (Among Us), Feelings Realization, Impostor Green (Among Us), Impostor Red (Among Us), M/M, Slice of Life, red is bad at feelings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:29:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,016</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28117401</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_a_banana/pseuds/im_a_banana</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Red finally provided a final answer to the lingering, unspoken question. </p>
<p>“Yes, Green. I love him. I love Black, and I’d never hurt him or his friends. And if you were honest with yourself, you would admit your own feelings for Orange, too.” Red clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned pale, liquid determination pulsing in his veins. “You know how likely it is that another Impostor will manage to infiltrate this crew. Which side will you take, Green? Will you protect the crew and fight alongside me? Or will you fight against me?”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Black/Red (Among Us), Crewmate/Crewmate (Among Us), Crewmate/Impostor (Among Us), Green/Orange (Among Us), Pink/White (Among Us)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>space-bois fam [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2047988</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>so let this guard down, our love was written in the stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Evening was an astronaut’s favorite time of the day, by a long shot. It was a peaceful moment, when everyone could just gather together and relax after endless hours spent doing tasks.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The mismatched crew had just grabbed their unappetizing meals and sat down to dinner, when White stiffly marched into Cafeteria, her expression somewhere between exasperated and peeved. “Everyone, I have an announcement to make,” she grumbled. “Starting tonight, our dear Black—”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Guess who’s back to business, cocksuckers!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“—will return to delight us with his irreplaceable company,” White finished impassively, deciding to simply ignore Black’s stupid comment for the sake of her own, already put to the test, sanity.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh my stars, Black!” Pink sprang to her feet the exact same moment Black triumphantly marched into Cafeteria, her joyous gasps of excitement proving how happy she was to have her best friend back. She affectionately threw her arms around the dark-haired man’s neck, squeezing it. “I missed you so much, Black! It’s just not the same here, without you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>White’s eyes rolled <em>tremendously</em> in front of such a sickening scene. “Oh please, the audacity! You two drama queens saw each other just this morning, exactly eleven hours ago.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Still clinging to each other for dear life, the duo momentarily stopped the celebration to pout indignantly at White. “It’s not the same thing, White.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Great, the crackheads are back in the game,” Yellow laughed, barely able to hold back a sincere smile. Clearly, he’d missed his hyperactive roommate just as much. “And here I was hoping for a few more nights of deep, undisturbed sleep."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Joke’s on you Yellow, Pink and I are gonna throw a huge party to make up for lost time, and you’re all invited,” Black announced, joining the others and flopping down at the dinner table next to Blue, snatching a small pack of overly-processed beef jerky. “Except for you White, you’re boring and I still need to figure out what Pink ever saw in you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After occupying her own seat, the white-clothed doctor gave her former patient the stink eye and crossed her arms over her chest to look twice as severe, highlighting her annoyance. “Those are <em>my</em> words, Black. Despite my medical degree, the reason why Pink still hangs out with your dumbass is beyond me. I swear, only you could— after just two days of so-called ‘boredom’ in Medbay’s infirmary— reach the level of imbecility required to substitute an entire batch of Bromothymol Blue with cranberry juice.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The crewmates’ wild cackle bounced between the walls of the crowded room, only increasing in volume as Blue toppled from her chair and stayed on the ground, laughing too hard to get up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Seriously, how did you even pass the admission test, Black!? Oh man,” Yellow wheezed, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Even amongst all that noise, the rattling sound of Green’s file folder hitting the ground drew the attention of the snickering crew. “Black did what now!?” the Vice-Captain incredulously exclaimed, standing beside a visibly amused Red on the threshold of Cafeteria.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Come on, it was just a prank,” the culprit raised his gloved hands in mock surrender, not even trying to come up with a justification; he was dumb, not creative. “Also Green, the next time you wanna scold me, keep in mind that I saved your crispy ass from the fire, along with Orange’s. And no, I ain’t gonna let you forget that anytime soon.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Green opened his mouth to speak his mind— a twenty-minute lecture about the costs of chemical reagents and MIRA’s already low funds just <em>begging</em> to be snarled— but eventually decided against it as Red’s palm came to rest on his back in tacit request,<em> “Let them have some fun, Green. They’re still shaken up.”</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Resigned, the green-haired Vice-Captain contented himself with sitting down to have dinner with the members of the crew, emulating Red’s example. “White,” his voice came out less confident than he would’ve liked, but curiosity and, damn the stars, genuine concern were gnawing at him. “is Orange alright?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Orange is fine, Green. Completely healed and well-fed, even a bit restless at times. I authorized him to return to work tomorrow,” White informed her superior, who hummed his approval between hungry mouthfuls.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s good news,” Brown intervened, his brownish irises sparkling with unconcealed pleasure. “I’ll pay him a visit later— Of course, if that’s okay with you, White.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The previous turmoil gradually settled into a comfortable small talk, mostly about the absurd amount of wires that needed a fix and the collective inability to swipe the Admin card on the first try.</p>
<p>The damage caused by the flames had yet to be fully repaired but according to Yellow, the spaceship’s mechanic, the systems would be back up and running in a couple of weeks at most— with the cooperation of all, of course.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Black,” Red’s delicate puff of breath tickled Black’s nape, giving him goosebumps, as the Captain leaned discreetly towards his crewmate. “I’m glad to have you back.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s good to be back,” Black smiled in response, lifting his head to cast a mischievous glance at the young Captain. He cautiously looked around the table, making sure the other diners were too busy chit-chatting and organizing to pay them any mind, before he whispered, “Meet me here in three hours if you can, when everyone is asleep. I’d like to see you alone.”</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p>Moving through the darkness had never been a problem, not for Red’s species anyway.</p>
<p>Why would it be? Lights on or lights off, it’s all the same when your eyes are perfectly adapted to see in the murkiest of nights.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Cafeteria was currently empty and everything was silent, except for the buzzing machinery and the imperceptible breathing of a familiar, waiting crewmate.</p>
<p>“Black,” Red called out as kindly as he could, trying not to frighten the unaware astronaut, who was admiring the spectacle of the Universe from one of the biggest windows. “I’m here. You wanted to see me?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Black’s face lit up upon hearing the polite greeting. “Red, I’m glad you could make it! As a matter of fact, yeah. I really wanted to see you,” he beamed, turning his full attention to his intrigued colleague and padding towards him. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, his coal-colored eyes searched for Red’s. “You’ll probably force me to empty the garbage until we reach MIRA, I ain’t not gonna blame you for it, but I— I just wanted a chance to say thank you, I guess? It’s not like I wanna waste your time but, y’know…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Black muttered something through gritted teeth, most likely a cuss word or two, averting his gaze as his cheeks turned the same, vibrant shade as Red’s spacesuit. “I’m <em>so </em>fucking bad at words, I’m so sorry,” he let out a forced chuckle, palpably embarrassed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Captain couldn’t believe what he was witnessing; Black— by far the cockiest, most confident man he’d ever met— was acting shy, out of the blue?</p>
<p>“It’s fine, Black. Go on, I’m not going anywhere,” Red prompted encouragingly, an inexplicable warmth spreading from head to toe.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Blinking gratefully at his superior, Black drew a shaky breath; then, finally, he steadied his voice and started talking, “Ok. Ok, I can do this— I just want to say, I’m thankful to you. Despite your busy schedule, despite you had to pick up the broken pieces of this spaceship after the, you know, huge asteroid screw-up and despite you had no obligation whatsoever, you’ve been by my side. Everyday, whenever you could. And goddamn Red, you know how I feel about you!” he blurted out to the absolutely stunned Captain.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You <em>genuinely</em> laugh at my stupid-ass jokes. You seem to enjoy spending your little spare time with me, only the stars know why, and I— I like our moments together. And I like you, Red,” Black's facial features were relaxed now, as if he’d just lifted a tremendous burden off his chest. Perhaps, he had indeed done so. “I like you <em>a lot</em>, and I just wanted you to know that. That’s, umh… that’s all.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>One, two, then three heartbeats ticked by, before Black decided the silence that had fallen upon them had lasted long enough. “You don’t have to say anything, Red. I don’t expect you to. I mean, I’d be pretty fucking surprised as well if, all of the sudden—”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I like you too, Black,” Red interrupted the dark-clothed astronaut’s nonsense to stammer his own, the Captain’s tone just as astonished and incredulous as his subordinate’s expression. “Why wouldn’t I? You’re funny, and brave, and loyal, and passionate, and fierce, and cleverer than you think—”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Red,” Black grinned, hoping to stop the Captain’s babbling.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“—but also compassionate, and kind, and generous, and caring, even though you try to hide this part of you from the others—”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Red! Slow down my man, don’t die on me! Holy fuck, we both surely suck at this,” Black snorted shamelessly in the back of his hand, on the verge of bursting with joy over the Captain’s heartfelt confession. Tentatively, he took a step forward and buried his nose in the spot where Red’s neck met his shoulder, defeating the distance that had kept them apart from each other for far, far too long and relishing the other’s small tremor of surprise. “You had me at ‘I like you too’, you goof.”</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p><em>"The human body is weird,</em>” Red decided. “<em>and random.</em>”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Only an hour or so earlier, the Captain’s weariness was such that he thought he wouldn’t be able to put one foot in front of the other, but right now he felt like he could prance and stride through the corridors all night long.</p>
<p>Although only slightly, Red’s breathing was labored and every single time he inhaled, the core of his chest actually <em>ached</em>… but in a good way. However, his heart was definitely the worst part, since apparently it just couldn’t find a satisfying rhythm.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em>What’s happening to me? This doesn’t feel normal at all,</em>” Red reflected, genuinely concerned about his own health and wondering whether or not to get examined by White the next morning. <em>“My body can’t be so untrained to overheat over a walk. It’s true that I’m not as fit as Black is, but—”</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The moment Black’s familiar face took shape in the Captain’s frenzied mind, his heart did a triple somersault and an electric shiver made his knees buckle. Seriously, what was wrong with him? He’d felt strange since he and Black had, with obvious reluctance, wished each other goodnight and parted ways.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Not knowing the answer should’ve made Red feel vulnerable but, right now, the only thing occupying his mind was the longing desire to see Black again, as soon as possible.</p>
<p>He just wanted to be with him, to hear his playful voice, to loose himself in those beautiful obsidian eyes of his, which reminded Red of the Universe—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Daydreaming, Red?” Green demanded, his narrow emerald eyes glinting in the darkness of the corridor like a feline’s, crouched and ready to pounce on its prey.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Captain froze mid-step, almost jumping out of his skin and mentally cursing himself for not having been able to detect Green’s presence until the very last moment. Apparently, the mere thought of a certain black-suited crewmate was enough to send his head into the clouds, and deeper than he’d expected.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m going to bed, Green,” steadying his breath, Red met his Vice’s sharp gaze evenly. “Do you need anything?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yes. A more attentive partner,” the taller man stepped forward, his face a mask of absolute contempt as he hissed the next words, “If you were a simple human, I would’ve had my teeth fastened around your throat right now— but come to think of it, even now as an Impostor, you could’ve easily been dead meat.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Every single muscle in Red’s body tensed, ready to counterattack should Green decide to press his luck and try to fight him. “Are you threatening me now, Green? Are you turning on me, on your own kind?” he demanded.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No Red, <em>you</em> are. Fraternizing with our targets— and don’t bother denying it, I saw you and Black in Cafeteria just now!” the Vice-Captain’s thundering voice echoed through the empty hallway, and yet it was clear that Green was trying to hold back his anger, for the sake of their friendship at least.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For a brief moment, the Captain felt a tinge of sorrow for his trusted Vice, with whom he’d managed to come this far and shared tons of memories with. “But perhaps you can still prove me wrong,” Green shrugged nonchalantly. “Black is still around, wandering all by himself in the dark. This is what I call an easy kill.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The moment was over and, just like that, Red’s sorrow was gone and immediately replaced by a blinding, overwhelming fury; a fierce growl leapt its way through his chest as he bared his double row of razor-sharp, inhumane fangs.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Go on, take another step. I will personally make sure a corpse shows up on this spaceship tonight and, rest assured, it won’t be Black’s,” the Captain snarled, challenging his Vice head on; if that was how Green wanted to play the game, then Red was gonna cut him to the quick as well. “But if blood is what you long for, what about Orange’s? He trusts you <em>so much</em>, does he not?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Everything exploded at once, in a split second; Red’s quick reflexes barely enabled him to dodge the vicious slash of Green’s claws, which carved a deep mark on the nearby wall. Although desirous to launch a vengeance attack, Red managed to overcome his instinct the moment he found himself staring at the Vice-Captain’s contrite expression.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Forgive me, Red. I didn’t mean it,” Green backed off, staring incredulously at his equally shocked colleague and then at his own, exposed claws, which he had almost sunk into Red’s skull. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They had gone too far this time, the both of them. Never had a fight lead to such an undignified display of disrespect or violence between the two, but it was like Green’s body had moved on its own, guided by a rush of anger… and for what, a useless human?</p>
<p>There were billions of them, crawling like ants on their insignificant planet!</p>
<p>Why should he care about one of them? Why should anyone care? Why—</p>
<p> </p>
<p>… why did he care?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Within the stiff silence that had fallen between the two men, Red managed to find the truth they both had been looking for during all those long months of travel.</p>
<p>“You are a hypocrite,” the Captain spat, exhaling sharply as he finally allowed his body to relax, sensing that their conversation— as well as their confrontation— was over for the night. “All the hatred, this whole mission… where has it lead us to, Green? You can kill as many human as you want, MIRA will just send out more. Humans are expendable to each other,”Green stared wide-eyed at his colleague, whose voice cracked like glass underneath the weight of that admission. “and it’s <em>wrong. This </em>is wrong, and I’m tired! I’m tired of pretending that I don’t care about this crew. I’m tired of lying to myself about the nobleness of this stupid war! But most importantly, I’m tired of hating, Green.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Not looking at the Vice-Captain straight in the eye but even deeper, carving his crimson stare into the other Impostor’s insides, Red finally provided a final answer to the lingering, unspoken question. “Yes, Green. I love him. I love Black, and I’d never hurt him or his friends. And if you were honest with yourself, you would admit your own feelings for Orange, too.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Stunned, Green passively stared at his companion stride past him and head towards their shared room. “I’m going to bed. It’s been a long day, and I’m sure you need some time alone to clear your head,” Red explained, his voice now softer and full of comprehension. “Only the stars know how long it took me to figure out what I wanted.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“But I already know what I want, Red!” as soon as those first words fought their way out of the psychological imprisonment Green had imposed on himself, the rest followed their course like droplets in an overflowing river. ”Every time I look at Orange, every time he goes out of his way just to be close to me, to make sure I feel included even though I try my best to distance myself— I long for it, but at the same time, I hate it. And I hate myself too, because this goes against everything we’ve been taught, against everything we’re supposed to be doing! We’re not humans, no matter how well we disguise ourselves as such.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Pent-up frustration, confusion, indecisiveness and inexplicable euphoria merged into an emotion Green could not name or express. “I just don’t know what to do. I can’t bring myself to hurt him, no matter how hard I try. I hoped you’d tell me that these feelings were wrong, that they were to be eradicated, but now…” his head drooped. “It can’t go on like this. What should I do, Red?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The red-haired astronaut regarded his colleague with a sympathetic glance. “We will land at MIRA’s military base in five weeks, Green. You know how likely it is that another Impostor will manage to infiltrate this crew,” Red clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned pale, liquid determination pulsing in his veins. “Ask yourself one thing, Green. Which side will you take? Will you protect the crew and fight alongside me? Or will you fight <em>against</em> me?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Only a few months ago, Green’s answer would’ve been obvious, automatic: he would’ve killed any human on his path in cold blood, in the name of the war, in the name of what he’d been taught.</p>
<p>Right now though, the Vice-Captain was not so sure he would.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Damn the stars, Green was not even sure he could.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>feelings can be complicated when you're an alien parasitic species, but hey, Red's doing his best<br/>Hope you liked this little insight on Black/Red, if u did lemme know ;3;</p>
<p>also, I want to clarify some of the characters' professions on board:<br/>White-&gt; doctor<br/>Red-&gt; captain of the spaceship<br/>Green-&gt; vice-captain<br/>Pink-&gt; sniper/weapon expert<br/>Orange-&gt; nuclear physics<br/>Yellow-&gt; mechanic<br/>Brown-&gt; technologist<br/>Blue-&gt; navigator<br/>Black-&gt; trainer (endurance, strength and stamina in space)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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